The Bucket List
by isophia216
Summary: "Why do you have a bucket list?" he growled. "Because i'm dying dammit!" she cried as tears flowed freely from her eyes. Hermione has six months left to live and she wants to do so on her own terms and gets to do so too well every term except for one, she wants to be left alone with no contact with her friends but Draco Malfoy is known to be stubborn and to save what is his...


**First of all, a very happy new year to all of you! I know I haven't posted in a very long time but its all because I had so many examinations and tests going on… In fact, I have another set of exams beginning on the 15****th****…**

**I'll not bore you much with my excuses so just a few things to say before I begin the story: **

**I haven't been to any of the places mentioned in the list and therefore I want all of you to tell me of your experience there so that I can make it sound realistic….**

**Libby, this one's for you…**

**Enjoy!**

**_The Bucket List_**

****She watched as the shadows lengthened, the light dimmed and the last light of the day turned into the first stars of the night. She knew that it was over but still she hoped that it wasn't. Finally, the sixth month's deadline that her Healer had given her was over. Just a day more, and she'd be dead.

'How melodramatic.' Hermione thought as she rolled her eyes. The last six months had been a whirlwind. She had been diagnosed with leukemia and unfortunately it had only been discovered in its last stages nothing could be done. Her Healer, Selina Freeman had been shocked to see her first reports as even though she was almost on the threshold of death, she looked perfectly fine on the outside.

She had never thought of making a bucket list in her twenty four years of existence before but on that fateful 22nd of September, as she lay on her bed, for the first time ever, Hermione thought of the things she wanted to do before finally saying goodbye.

On the morning of 23rd September, 2005, Hermione sat on one of the high stools in her open kitchen and began to think back to all the things that she had decided the previous night. She had of wished to travel the whole world so her bucket list went something like this-

Go to Paris and visit the Eiffel Tower at night.

Make a trip to Venice, have a gondola ride.

Go for an African safari.

Go to the backwaters of Cochin in India.

Watch a show at the Sydney Opera House.

Witness the Carnival in Rio.

Participate in a street football match.

See the Grand Canyon.

Go to Alaska.

Watch the sunset from the top floor of the Empire State Building.

Hermione wrote this on a paper so that she could cross them off as she did each one of them for she had decided to fulfil her wishes and live the last few months of her life to the fullest so she was setting off as soon as possible.

Then she jumped of the stool and for a moment was quite dizzy and had to hold on to the kitchen slab to steady herself. 'And so it begins,' Hermione thought for it was the first time that her body had shown any outward weakness. Taking a deep breath to calm herself and stop the thoughts of death from ravaging her sanity, Hermione walked to the bathroom. She undressed as the water filled and then gently lowered herself into the tub, a small sigh of contentment leaving her as the water encased her, little waves lapping her chin.

She lay in there for quite some time, thinking of all that she had to do before leaving London. She had to inform her employer, her friend from Hogwarts, Padma Patil, who had opened a bookshop beside her sister's shop of witches' beauty products named 'Lavender's Choice'. Hermione worked in Padma's 'Scrolls and Tomes' not because she had to earn, no the Ministry had given her enough galleons and a large apartment in wizarding London as compensation and appreciation for her role in the War to last several lifetimes. She worked because she loved it there. Books all around and the chance to flit through them whenever she wanted. The bookshop also functioned as a library as it also lent books to people who liked to read but didn't want to buy them and there were many regulars too, most of them, her batch mates like Luna, Seamus, Ginny and surprisingly, Blaise Zabini and Draco Malfoy too. Draco Malfoy, who, over the years had become as good a friend of hers as Harry and Ron were and sometimes even more.

'Harry and Ron and Draco.' Hermione thought with a groan as she submerged in the water once more. How could she tell them that she was going to die soon and try as they might there was nothing that they could do to save her? She dreaded their reactions. She had been strong till then but even the thought of their grief stricken faces made her gasp.

She had forgotten that she was under water and so she broke the surface spluttering and coughing and deciding then and there that she wouldn't tell them. Wasn't that better? With harry at his highest, the youngest Head Auror ever, Ron as the captain of the Chudley Cannons who had been on a winning spree since he took helm and Draco, the owner of Malfoy Enterprises who owned various establishments as well as traded with other wizarding communities all over the world; who also supplied books to the bookshop as well as coming over every day just to chat if not to borrow a book even though he could afford all of them without any significant change in his bank account.

No she wouldn't tell them. Wouldn't even meet them because she knew that their faces would crumble the wall which she had built inside her to keep herself of thinking of all that she could do in the years to come if she wasn't dying. She was only twenty four, almost twenty five, for Merlin's sake! She had had a whole life ahead of her whereas now she only had six months left.

Hermione got out of the bathtub and draping a bathrobe, walked over to the walk-in closet which led from her bathroom to her bedroom. She wore a flowy olive green top and black denims. Then she went to her study and on a roll of parchment, wrote her resignation. She planned to leave that very night so that her time won't be up before she had crossed off each and everything on that list of hers. Then on another roll of parchment she wrote a letter seeking permission from the Ministry to travel via portkey that night and sent it via Floo to the concerned department of the Ministry. Then thinking whether to Apparate or not, and deciding against it, Hermione walked out of her apartment and checking the wards placed on it, rode the elevator down and as it opened in the lobby, took a fairly long stroll to her workplace, resignation letter in her hand.

When she reached 'Scrolls and Tomes', Padma was already there, opening the windows. "You're late Hermione!" she said when she turned around at the sound of the bell ringing.

"Well this is the first and the last time you ever say this Padma." Hermione said as she handed over the letter.

"What? Why?" Padma said as she quickly read the contents. "Why are you quitting Mione? Don't you like it here anymore?"

"It's not that Padma, it's just that I want to travel for a while, tour the world you know, and well I won't be coming back so…."

"Well, you do deserve a break," Padma said haltingly, "but leaving forever? Isn't that a bit too extreme? I mean, I can employ someone temporarily in your place and then you can join back when you return."

"No Padma. You may as well keep the new employee permanent. I won't be coming back." Hermione said, sadness and despair evident in her voice.

"I don't want to, but I'll let you go if that's what you really want." Padma said resignedly, then, curious, she asked, "If I may ask, when are you leaving?"

"Tonight." Hermione replied, determination clear in her tone.

"Tonight? Isn't that a bit too soon? You seem to be in a great hurry to leave Hermione." Padma said, surprised.

"I am Padma, I am." Hermione mumbled as she hugged Padma one last time.

"Goodbye." She whispered as she turned around, leaving a confused Padma behind, determined not to let her see the tears streaming down her face.

**So, what do you think? Like it? Hate it?**

**Please PM me your experiences and drop off reviews too so that I can mix and match all of your experiences in the places of Hermione's bucket list so that I may do justice to the story… so bye for now…**

**Remember I'm counting on you!**

**-isophia**

**PS: its my birthday on the 10th so can i get reviews as a present? **


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